Five Minutes
by AislingK
Summary: Tim didn't exactly mean it to happen, but he's been lying. To Gibbs. Warning: Contains the spanking of an adult.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Five Minutes

**Disclaimer**: The characters belong to Donald Bellisario, and I hope he won't mind that I've borrowed them for awhile. The story is not connected to any particular episode or storyline from NCIS.

**Warning**: This story will contain the non-sexual **spanking** of an adult. If that's not your thing, it would be best if you didn't read it, or at least that you refrain from telling me about it.

* * *

If only it hadn't been so easy the first time. It hadn't even seemed like lying then. It was just a joke really – he hadn't meant for anything to come of it. And it wasn't even his fault exactly – Tony had made him do it. Well, sort of. OK, maybe not at all. But if Tony hadn't dared him, then he'd never have lied to Gibbs. No one in their right mind would intentionally lie to Gibbs.

Tim put his head in his hands and stared into his cup of coffee. How had he ever gotten himself into such a mess? He replayed the scene in his mind. It had been a slow day at work, and he'd spent most of his time cleaning up files on his hard drive. Gibbs was only sporadically at his desk, and Tony and Ziva were taking advantage of the lack of supervision to play a long, drawn-out game of Truth or Dare. It wasn't exactly high drama – Tony tried to fish out tantalizing details about Ziva's past relationships, while Ziva mostly dared Tony to move items on Gibbs' desk or carry out some idiotic physical feat. Tim pretended not to be interested in their activities, but he was completely aware of everything that his partners said and did. He was fascinated by the way that Ziva skillfully manipulated Tony – making him think that she was revealing intimate secrets without actually divulging anything of substance. And Tony tried to act like he was in control of the game, but Tim saw the way he jumped to respond to Ziva's every challenge. For Tony, winning was equivalent to fearlessly taking on every dare, but for Ziva winning meant getting Tony to do her bidding, however arbitrary. Tim admired her for the subtle way she managed Tony and his total obliviousness to her tactics.

Tim reassured himself that he was above such juvenile game playing, especially at work. He was paid to do a job, and even when they weren't on a case he knew it was his responsibility to use his time wisely and professionally. He really did believe that, and yet he couldn't seem to make himself ignore his colleagues and their antics. Tim was loathed to admit it, but he was bothered by the fact that they didn't invite him to play. He hated party games, and was scared of what Tony and Ziva might come up with him to confess or perform, but they still should have tried to involve him. On a rational level Tim knew it wasn't fair to act disdainful towards his partners and then be mad at them for not seeing through his pretense, but he couldn't help himself.

And then finally he'd gotten his wish. Maybe Tony and Ziva had just gotten bored with each other, but Tony suddenly seemed to remember that Tim was in the room.

"Hey, McGeek!" Tony called. "Truth or dare?"

Tim's stomach flipped at the question. Despite all his mental analysis, he heard himself answer instinctively. "Some of us are trying to work, Tony. I don't have time for games."

"Aw, come on Probie. One round – your choice. Truth or dare, from me or Ziva."

Ziva jumped to his defense, "Leave him alone, Tony. Tim is right – this is a childish way to pass the time. We should not bring him down to our level."

That was it. Tim couldn't let them accuse him of being superior. He sprung up from his desk.

"Dare. Bring it on, Tony."

Tony looked surprised, but pleased. "What should we make him do, Ziva?"

"Go easy on him, Tony. Tim is only just dripping his toes in the water. He will not want to get all wet."

"It's 'dipping', Ziva. And I'm all in. Don't baby me."

"No one's letting you off easy, McGee." Tony replied, but clearly he hadn't anticipated having to come up with a challenge for Tim. Tony glanced at his watch and then grinned. "I dare you to go home."

"What do you mean, 'go home'?" Tim asked.

"It's four o'clock. I dare you to leave work right now and not come back till tomorrow morning."

"That's not fair – Gibbs will kill me! Ziva never made you do anything that dangerous!"

"Your choice, McGee."

Tim was trying to get out of the situation when the elevator pinged. All three agents knew the sound heralded the arrival of their boss, and Tim suddenly knew that wasn't going to lose face in front of Tony.

Gibbs emerged and strode purposefully towards his staff. "Is there a problem McGee?" Gibbs asked the standing agent.

"No boss," Tim said automatically.

"Then get back to work."

"Uh, Gibbs?" Tim started shakily. The senior agent stopped walking and turned back to face McGee. He waited for Tim to continue.

Tim glanced over at Tony and Ziva, who were visibly enthralled waiting to see what Tim would say. Tim knew they expected him to chicken out. He steeled himself and just started talking. "My, um, Aunt Esther, she's in the hospital, and, uh, I was hoping to visit her this afternoon, and I was wondering if it was OK if…"

"Go."

"What?" Tim replied, startled.

"Go visit your aunt, McGee. There's nothing going on here that can't be done without you."

Tim realized that he'd done it. He'd bested Tony, and his face flushed with pride and adrenaline. He grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair, flashed Tony a smug look of triumph, and almost ran out of the building before Gibbs could change his mind.

It had been so easy. All he'd been thinking about was showing off to Tony. It wasn't really a lie, exactly. And it was supposed to be a one-time thing. Except that the next morning, he hadn't paid enough attention to the clock and he got sidetracked playing a game online during breakfast. He was late to work, and before he could stop himself he heard the excuse coming from his lips.

"I'm sorry boss – I stopped to visit my aunt this morning at the hospital. I thought I left in plenty of time but I guess I misjudged the traffic - it won't happen again - I can stay late to make up for it."

Gibbs walked towards him and uncharacteristically put his hand on Tim's arm. "Don't worry about it, McGee. The only thing more important than the team is family. It's good that you care so much about your aunt. No need to apologize for that." With a double pat to his arm, Gibbs left a stunned McGee standing in the middle of the room. Tony and Ziva looked on with a combination of awe and disbelief, and Tim felt the seeds of guilt begin to sprout.

If only it hadn't been so easy. If only that had been the last time.

_To Be Continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

In retrospect, Tim rationalized, he'd only actually lied the first two times. After that it was as though the lie had a life of its own. In fact, it was kind of like other people were doing the lying for him, so he couldn't really be blamed for it. Surely Gibbs would understand that.

The thought made Tim groan out loud, oblivious to the presence of other patrons of the coffee shop. Even in his imagination Tim couldn't picture a scenario in which Gibbs would buy that argument. He'd deceived his boss, a man to whom he was completely devoted. Everything he did at work was at least partially motivated by a desire to impress Gibbs. And now he'd betrayed that man's trust.

If it had been up to Tim, the whole fiasco would have disappeared after he used the excuse for being late. But Tony knew a good thing when he saw one, and this was entertainment he couldn't pass up. So a couple of days later Tony had waited until there was a lull in the office to bait Tim into a conversation within earshot of their superior.

"How's your aunt doing, McGee?"

Tim glared at Tony, but saw Gibbs look up over his computer and knew he had to respond.

"Much better, Tony. I think they're going to let her out soon."

"What was her name again?" Tony smirked as he asked the question.

"Esther," Tim replied curtly, thankful that he'd chosen the name of his elderly neighbor so it came quickly to his mind. "It's my Aunt Esther, on my mother's side," he added for good measure.

"And does she appreciate that her nephew Timmy comes to visit her every day?" Tony was relentless.

"Yes, Tony, she does." Tim didn't know why he felt the need to defend his fictional aunt, but it bugged him that Tony would mock her.

"Hey Boss," Tony called over to Gibbs. "I'm finished running the profiles of everyone who entered the base last Thursday. I don't think we can follow up with anyone till Abby's done with the samples, and she said it might take her 3 or 4 more hours."

"Your point, DiNozzo?" Gibbs wasn't one to fall for Tony's slacker tactics.

"I was just thinking that maybe not all of us needed to stick around the office all evening waiting for the lab results…"

"Fine. McGee, you're done. Go visit your aunt."

"No Boss, really, I'll stay. I should cross-reference Tony's data with what we got from the phone records…"

"Don't be ridiculous, McGee. Anyone can do that. Tell your Aunt Esther that DiNozzo wishes her a speedy recovery."

"Yes, Boss." Tim consented reluctantly. The guilt was eating him up, but he gathered up his stuff and left the office. He couldn't tell Gibbs the truth – that this had been a stupid prank which had gotten slightly out of hand. He just didn't think he could bear the look on Gibbs' face when the lie was revealed.

Actually, Tim hadn't thought that anything could be worse than facing that look. But today, without any prodding from Tony, Gibbs had once again shooed him out of the office early to make a hospital visit when the day's activities were winding down. Tim had left obediently, but he'd only gotten as far as the coffee shop across the street. He'd been sitting at a table for over two hours, his cup of coffee now cold and stale. Tim knew that he had to go back and tell Gibbs the truth. He felt physically ill at this prospect, but the thought of continuing the charade even one more day was worse. This had to end.

Tim slowly got up and made his way back to the NCIS building. Regular business hours were over so the hallways were quiet, but not dark. This wasn't a 9-to-5 place, and Tim had no doubt that Gibbs would still be at his desk. He just hoped that Tony and Ziva were gone for the day. As he entered their work area, he saw that indeed his partners had left, but that Gibbs was at his computer as expected. Tim took a deep breath and forced himself to approach the senior agent. Gibbs looked up, mildly surprised.

"McGee, when I said you could leave before, I meant for the day. There was no need to come back. Some things are more important than work." Gibbs smiled at him, and the kindness from his usually stoic boss increased Tim's anguish.

"No, Boss. I had to come back. There's, um, there's something I need to tell you. I mean, there's something you need to know. That I have to say." Tim stammered through his introduction.

"Is it about your aunt? Is something wrong?" Gibbs sounded concerned.

"No, she's OK," Tim absurdly felt like he needed to reassure Gibbs first. "I mean, she's not OK. But she's not my aunt. Well, actually, she's not anyone's aunt." Gibbs was starting to look confused and Tim didn't know how to gracefully dig himself out of this hole, so he just blurted it out. "I made her up."

The revelation hung in midair for several moments.

"I don't think I understand."

"I don't have an aunt. Well, I do have an aunt, but not this one. I actually have three aunts and…"

"McGee!" Gibbs cut into his babbling.

"Gibbs, I'm so sorry. It started as a joke – a dare, really. It wasn't meant to turn into a lie. It was just supposed to be that one day. But then it just kind of kept on going…"

"It just 'kind of kept on going,' McGee? Did you, or did you not, continue to lie about having a sick aunt, and use that lie to manipulate me for the past week?"

"I didn't mean to lie to you." Tim said miserably. "I hated that part of it. I just didn't know how to tell you without making you mad."

Gibbs stared at Tim for a minute before speaking. With a quiet voice he said, "You disappoint me, Tim."

Tim felt like he'd been stabbed in the chest. His throat tightened and he just barely was able to force words out of his mouth. "I know, Boss. I'm so sorry. It won't ever happen again."

"McGee, do you know how long it took me to trust you when you first started working here?"

"I don't know – a couple of months?"

"Five minutes." Gibbs let Tim absorb that fact before continuing. "And do you know how long it takes to regain my trust once it's been broken?"

Tim swallowed hard. "How long?"

"I don't know, McGee, but I guess we're going to find out." With that sober pronouncement, Gibbs turned his attention back to his computer.

"Please, Gibbs. What can I do to fix this?" Tim begged.

"Go home, Tim." Gibbs replied without looking up.

"Boss?" Tim wasn't sure if he was being fired.

Gibbs stopped typing. "It's late, and you have some thinking to do. Go home."

Realizing there was nothing left to say, Tim walked slowly from the office, feeling as though his insides had been hollowed out.

_To Be Continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

Tim had been sitting at his desk for nearly an hour when his boss arrived at 7:30, coffee in hand. Gibbs was a master at hiding his reactions, but Tim could tell that he was the last person Gibbs had expected to see at work so early that morning. Tim had barely slept, but he needed Gibbs to make this right, and that meant that he had to be there before anyone else had arrived.

Gibbs put his coffee down and faced McGee. "Are you waiting for something?"

"I wanted to tell you again how sorry I am…"

"Stop apologizing. You did what you did and it's over." Gibbs' tone was gruff.

"No, it's not." Tim was surprised to hear the words come out of his mouth. "I need you to trust me again."

Gibbs fixed his gaze on the junior agent. Tim's instinct was to look down, but he kept his eyes locked with Gibbs' and pleaded silently that he wouldn't walk away. Neither of them said anything for several moments, but it was Gibbs who finally spoke.

"With me." Gibbs instructed, and strode briskly towards the conference room. Tim scrambled to his feet and followed his boss, his stomach tightening. Encounters with Gibbs and his agents in the conference room rarely involved much talking, but Tim was ready to take whatever Gibbs dished out. He deserved it.

Once they were both in the room, Gibbs closed the door.

"I want to know why, McGee."

"I don't know. It just happened."

"That's a child's answer."

Tim wasn't sure that the real answer was going to sound particularly mature either, but at least it would be the truth. "I wanted to impress Tony. I thought he'd respect me more."

"Is Tony's respect really that important to you?"

Embarrassed, Tim shook his head no.

"Then whose respect does matter to you?"

Tim looked down at the floor, but Gibbs reached out and lifted Tim's chin with his finger until he made eye contact again. "Answer the question, Tim."

Tim's answer was barely audible. "Yours, sir." He knew that Gibbs hated being addressed that way, but he couldn't help himself in this environment.

"And yet you risked losing that respect by deceiving me."

"I didn't think of it that way. I guess I didn't think about it at all until I was in way over my head. And then it was easier to just hope that it would go away."

"That's not how problems get solved, McGee."

"I know, Boss."

Gibbs sighed. "I'm going to have to punish you."

Tim nodded. He had anticipated this, and though he was scared he also felt a sense of relief. A punishment meant that Gibbs was taking care of the situation, and that was the first thing that had seemed right to Tim in days.

Gibbs signaled with his hand that Tim should turn to face the wall. "Hands against the wall," he instructed. Tim leaned forward and braced himself with his hands. "Legs farther apart." Tim complied, and hoped that his knees wouldn't buckle. He waited, knowing that Gibbs was removing his belt and preparing to whip him with it.

The spanking was hard, but Tim was determined to take it without making any noise. He wanted Gibbs to know without a doubt that he accepted the senior agent's authority and discipline. He thought that any cries would be interpreted as childish weakness. As the strokes landed Tim gritted his teeth, and soon all he could hear was the blood rushing through his ears. Each lash of the belt brought him closer to a breaking point, but he focused on the wall in front of him and willed himself to ignore the mounting pain. Tim was concentrating so intently on holding his position that his legs began to tremble.

At last it stopped. He heard Gibbs tell him it was OK to stand up now, and with an effort he pushed himself shakily upright.

"Turn around, Tim."

Tim obeyed, but knew he would start to cry if he looked at his boss.

Gibbs put a hand on his shoulder. "The next time you think about lying McGee, I want you to remember that you're better than that."

Tim nodded vigorously and hoped that Gibbs would just let him hide with his emotions, which he was finding increasingly hard to suppress.

"All right then. Come back to your desk when you're ready." Gibbs headed towards the door, clearly wanting to give Tim the privacy he was seeking. But as he reached for the door handle Tim called to him with a choked sob.

"Do you think you'll ever trust me again?"

Gibbs turned back to his young agent. Gently he said, "I do trust you, son. Turns out all I needed was another five minutes."

_The End_


End file.
